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Tzitzit: Kissing: Night Shema
Don't kiss tzitzit when saying the shema at night.
Tzitzit: Kissing: Morning Shema
When saying morning shema, kiss the tzitzit when saying the words:
  • “tzitzit” in the shema, and
  • “emet” and “la'ad” in paragraph following the shema.
These are non-binding customs, not halacha.
 
What To Wear for Shema in Shacharit
Men should wear a talit katan (for married men, also wear a talit gadol) and tefilin in order to say shema in shacharit. However, if none are available, say the shema without them.
"Stretching Out" Echad in Shema
Stretch out the first line of the shema by pausing after saying “echad” and before saying Baruch shem kevod malchuto l'olam va'ed.
Note
  • It is incorrect to stretch out the “chet” + vowel sound (chaaaaaad).
  • It is incorrect (and much worse) to say a vowel sound after the “dalet” (echadihhh!), since that changes the word and by doing so, you are not saying the shema.
  • The “dalet” stops the sound and should not be pronounced as a syllable.
 
Latest time To Say Shema
Shema may be said anytime during the day.  But to fulfill the halachic requirement of saying shema in the morning, shema must be said by the end of the first quarter of the daylight hours, known as the “third hour” of the day.  To derive this time, divide the time from sunrise to sunset by 4 and add that to the time for sunrise.
Covering Eyes for First Line of Shema
Cover your eyes with either hand when saying the first line of shema. This is to help prevent distraction. There is no need to remove your glasses first.
Note Covering your eyes for the shema is a widespread custom, not a halacha.
Shacharit: Might Return To Sleep and Miss Latest Time To Say Shema
SITUATION You wake up after daybreak, but you might go back to sleep and thereby miss the time for saying mekadeish et shimcha ba'rabim and shema (both of which must be said by the third halachic hour of the day).
WHAT TO DOYou should say at least the:
  • Blessing on washing your hands,
  • Blessings on studying Torah, including Elohai neshama and all other related sayings, and
  • Complete shema--with the condition that:
    • If you sleep past the latest time for shema (sof zman kriat shema), this shema fulfills your obligation; but
    • If you do not go back to sleep, this shema does not fulfill your obligation.
    Then, whether you go back to sleep or not, having made the condition allows you to say the full blessing of mekadeish et shimcha ba'rabim, including God's name, if you get to l'olam yihei adam... before the third hour of the day.
    NOTE If you said the shema when you woke up but did not made the condition, you would not be able to say the concluding blessing mekadeish et shimcha ba'rabim with God's name when repeating the shema (but you may say it without using God's name: see When To Say Mekadeish et Shimcha BaRabim).
    NOTE If you go back to sleep, don't repeat the blessings on washing hands and studying Torah when you wake up.
Prayer near Animal
You may say blessings, the shema, and even the amida if you are near an animal, as long as the animal does not smell.
 
When To Pause or Join Minyan: Regular Shacharit
Shema
When the minyan reaches the shema in shacharit:
  • If you are between bar'chu and end of amida, simply:
    • Cover your eyes like everyone else, but don't say the shema line.
  • If you are anywhere else:
    • Pause and, with everyone else, say the first two lines of the shema (Shema, Yisrael… and Baruch shem…), and then
    • Resume where you were.
Reason You may not interrupt your prayer between bar'chu and end of amida.

Amida
Situation  You are saying your amida in a minyan and it is close to the end of the fourth hour of the day.
What To Do  Do not pause, even if the leader says kaddish or kedusha, if doing so will delay you past the fourth hour.
Husband's Prayer near Wife
A husband may say shema and the amida (and study Torah) in his wife's presence if her hair is uncovered (as long as he is not looking at her hair), but not if she is immodestly dressed.
Introduction: Shacharit: When To Begin
B'di'avad, you can say shema and amida as early as 72 minutes before sunrise (alot ha'shachar).  You can put on tefilin and tzitzit/talit even earlier, although you may not say the blessings over them until “mi'sheyakir”—which is later than you can say shema and amida!  (See above.)
When To Pray: Shacharit: What Time To Finish
You must say the shema no later than the end of the third halachic hour of the day in the morning. If you did not say it in time:
  1. If it is before the fourth halachic hour of the day, say the entire shacharit service, as long as you will complete the amida before the end of the fourth halachic hour.
  2. If it is after the fourth halachic hour of the day but before the end of the sixth halachic hour of the day, say birchot ha'shachar (and you may also say korbanot) and then skip all of shacharit up to the amida, which you should say as soon as possible.
When To Pause or Join Minyan: Ma'ariv
If the ma'ariv minyan says shema, you must join them for the first two sentences (“Shema, Yisrael…” and “Baruch shem…”), unless you are saying the amida.
HaMapil on Passover
On the first two nights of Passover, before going to sleep, just say shema and the ha'mapil blessing.
Reason The first night (two nights outside of Eretz Yisrael) is considered to have special Divine protection, so we omit the extra paragraphs in the final parts of the prayer.
 
Tefilin: When To Touch: Shacharit
When praying on weekday mornings, touch and “kiss” the tefilin at:
  • Places in the shema that mention tefilin, and
  • Potei'ach in ashrei.
Reason  When wearing tefilin, you should be constantly conscious that you are wearing them. One way of reminding ourselves that we are wearing tefilin is to touch them at these times.
Note To “kiss” tefilin, touch the box with one or more fingers and then kiss those fingers.